Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States. One treatment option for the removal of malignant and pre-malignant lesions is endoscopic mucosal or en bloc resection. Resections can allow for the pathological determination of tissue health.
In order to remove the tissue, the surgeon often carefully cuts through the mucosa and submucosa, a process which is time consuming and difficult as the tissue easily deforms and deflects when pressure is applied. Other challenges include difficulty in locating the submucosal layer, maintaining an adequate lift height for a duration long enough to perform the resection, difficulty injecting the lifting solution through conventional injection needles, and repeatedly exchanging devices through an endoscope.